Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
While the oil lobby continues its gas attack on climate legislation, a recent government study suggests that accelerating CAFE standards under the Waxman-Markey climate bill would actually lower our gas bills by more than 10% over the next two decades...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Health and the Environment , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
A new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reveals that our energy bills are $120bln higher than they appear due to the "hidden costs" associated with the air pollution created by burning fossil fuels. The...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
The House of Representatives is expected to make a landmark decision on our energy and climate future as early as tomorrow. The 1,200 page American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act will establish a cap and trade system for greenhouse...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
While President Obama and others speak out about the need to close the carbon loopholes in this country, one newly appointed Governor has taken it upon himself to buck the trend and open up a new one. A carbon loophole...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
While Newt Gingrich is expected to continue his war against climate legislation in favor of "drilling here, drilling now", this is a fight he is going to lose. In fact, climate change legislation, like the draft bill submitted by Representatives...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Solving Global Warming
Despite the fact that the number of rigs exploring for natural gas in the US has dropped by over 40% in the past six months, the supply of natural gas in the market remains stubbornly high. In fact, weak industrial...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , The Media and the Environment
A recent Gallup poll survey conducted on the priorities for Americans with respect to the economy, energy production, and the environment has concluded that "there is little question that the current economic crisis poses a significant challenge for the environmental...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Old Dominion Electric Power Corporation's plan to build a 1,500MW supercritical pulverized coal-fired power facility in Dendron, Virginia comes with significant economic risk that can raise the "expected" cost of this facility by tens of billions of dollars over time. Costs...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
While the coal industry has been very receptive to meeting the needs of a large coal-to-liquids (CTL) industry in the United States, it seems unclear how they would actually service these new customers with domestic coal supplies at reasonable prices....
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Environmental Justice , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Baard Energy has announced that it is seeking $2.3bln in government guaranteed low interest rate loans from the Department of Energy to help construct a new $6bln coal to liquids fuel plant in Wellsville, Ohio. This proposal should be viewed...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Following two important announcements in the past month, it seems clear that industry and government now both converging on the view that carbon risk will have a significant impact on the economics of building new coal fired power plants. In December, the...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Green Enterprise , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
It is often asserted that a carbon tax would be simpler, more transparent, and have fewer special provisions, accommodations, or loopholes than a cap and trade system. The fallacy, however, is to compare a "real-world" cap and trade design with...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Green Enterprise , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
On January 15th the US Climate Action Partnership, a group of 26 major industry players and 5NGOs (including NRDC), released its Blueprint for Legislative Action on climate change -- a document designed to provide Congress with a consensus approach to...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution
Baard Energy's suggestion last week that the US Air Force should effectively ignore its own environmental regulations and commit to buy Baard's synthetic fuel as a way to help revive employment opportunities in Ohio should be dismissed outright. In fact,...
Posted by Andy Stevenson in Curbing Pollution , Solving Global Warming
AMP-Ohio has recently released a revised feasibility study, prepared by RW Beck, for the construction of a new 960MW coal-fired power plant in Meigs County, Ohio. This is the third time in the past 18 months RW Beck has been...
